SELFLESS Brian Muschamp is celebrating a lifetime achievement award after giving blood more than 75 times.

Each donation can potentially save up to three lives and only three per cent of UK donors ever reach their 75 donation, but the semi-retired IT consultant, of Marlow Bottom Road, Marlow, plans to keep on giving.

He said: "Giving blood runs in our family.

"It is so important because it could literally save someone's life. My son gives blood and his girlfriend has just started giving blood too."

Mr Muschamp, now in his 60s, has been giving blood since he was 23. He said: "A friend of mine was setting up a blood donor session and we said we would come along and support him because we thought it was important.

"It has become a lot easier to give blood now as there are more mobile units and the booking system works very well and means you don't waste time hanging around."

Mr Muschamp and his wife Pamela attended a recent National Blood Service donor award ceremony in Covent Garden, London, where he received an engraved crystal bowl in recognition of his lifetime's achievement.

He said: "It was a lovely evening and I found the speaker (Lloyd Scott) quite inspiring. He was a leukaemia survivor who needed a lot of blood transfusions, but he has also given a lot back. He raised thousands of pounds running the London Marathon in a deep sea diving suit. Stories like his make it all worthwhile and that's the best thanks you can get."

Mr Muschamp's elderly mother needed a blood transfusion as she was getting run-down in her old age.

He said: "It was reassuring to know there was blood available because of donors like me and it was nice to be on the receiving end."

Blood donations are urgently needed to top up stocks following a reduction in donations at Christmas.

For more information contact The National Blood Service helpline on 08457 711 711 or log onto www.blood.co.uk